Newfoundland yard to overhaul Canadian Coast Guard cutter

Ccgscygnus

The following is the text of a news release from Canadian Manufacturing:

(ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland) — A Newfoundland shipyard has been awarded a $1.2 million contract to refit a Canadian Coast Guard vessel as part of the federal government’s fleet renewal program.

St. John’s Dockyard Ltd. won the vessel life extension (VLE) and refit work contract for the refurbishment of the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Cygnus, an offshore patrol vessel that works off Canada’s Atlantic coast.

This contract is part of a $360 million investment to extend the life of the Coast Guard fleet announced in February 2013.

It will also be funded in part from the Coast Guard’s regular refit budget, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

“Over the last seven years, our Government has made unprecedented investments in the Canadian Coast Guard,” regional minister Rob Moore said in a release.

“As a result of this work, the CCGS Cygnus is expected to remain in service until 2022. This contract will also create jobs and economic benefits in the Newfoundland and Labrador shipbuilding sector.”

VLE work on the CCGS Cygnus will focus on steel renewals throughout the vessel, according to the ministry, including the replacement of the tail shaft, repairs to the main mast and a new anchor.

Work on the ship is expected to run through March 2014, at which point the CCGS Cygnus will be put back into service.

Homeported in St. John’s, the CCGS Cygnus is primarily used for fisheries enforcement and search and rescue off the Atlantic coast.

The work on the vessel marks just one of the 16 Coast Guard vessels that will be overhauled over the next 10 years.

Another 30 or so vessels will be purchased under the fleet renewal program.

By Professional Mariner Staff